London interested in hosting pre-tournament world juniors game

The world junior tournament is way too big and expensive for London now.

But what about an exhibition game?

At this week’s announcement of Toronto and Montreal as joint hosts of the 2015 and ’17 world juniors, Hockey Canada president Bob Nicholson indicated the pre-tournament tune-ups would be played in major junior hockey arenas.

“We would certainly look at the possibility of bringing a game here leading into the tournaments in Toronto and Montreal,” Tourism London GM John Winston said. “It’s something we’ve considered before. It all depends on making the numbers work.”

In the past, Hockey Canada has requested a considerable financial guarantee – even for the right to hold one of its exhibitions.

Three years ago, London looked at holding one of three Canadian pre-tournament games ahead of the 2011 world juniors in Buffalo but the financial stakes became a major hurdle.

Hockey Canada ended up going to Oshawa for Canada-Switzerland ($20-50 a ticket), the Air Canada Centre for Canada-Sweden ($19-45) and Kitchener for Canada-Finland ($26).

London hasn’t always been a slam dunk for international hockey.

In 2008, the gold-medal game between Ontario and the United States at the world under-17 hockey challenge attracted an impressive 8,889 at the then-John Labatt Centre, but in 2010, the Canadian Hockey League’s Canada-Russia Super Series game only drew 3,292.

“If it makes sense, then I don’t see why we wouldn’t pursue it,” Winston said. “We have a relationship with Hockey Canada and they know what we bring to the table.”

London bid for the 2006 world juniors but was passed over in favour of Vancouver. The city pulled out of a planned bid for the 2012 tournament, which ended up setting attendance and profit records in Calgary and Edmonton.

The city already has a full hockey schedule in the works the next year.

The Gardens is holding the 2014 Memorial Cup, a four-team NHL tournament in the fall and a Toronto-Philadelphia preseason game.

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